The move may be related to the case in which Mansky is accused of defaming film director Nikita Mikhalkov, who is known as an ardent supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Mansky told Russian media personality Ksenia Sobchak in an interview in May that Mikhalkov, who is the president of the Union of Cinematographers of Russia and the organizer of the Moscow International Film Festival, embezzled a large prportion of the money passing through his hands.
Russia has little chance of arresting Mansky, since he has been living in Latvia for several years. Mansky moved to Latvia in the wake of the illegal annexation of Crimea by the Putin regime.
Born in Ukraine, Mansky has made dozens of documentaries, including some about Vladimir Putin. He has created the documentary film festival "Artdocfest/Riga", and in recent years his films "Relatives", "Putin's Witnesses" and "Gorbachev. Paradise" have document the history of recent times.
Mansky has spoken out against the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine. "I believe that even when I live in Latvia, if I have a Russian passport, I bear co-responsibility for Russia's actions. Even when I speak out against the Kremlin's course. I bear this responsibility," Mansky said in an interview on Latvian Radio's "Brīvības bulvāris" program.
